1604 and 281 getting linked today

The still-under-construction U.S. 281 and Loop 1604 interchange on the northside is seen in this Oct. 25, 2012 aerial photo looking south towards downtown.

Photo By William Luther/San Antonio Express-News

The still-under-construction ramp from Loop 1604 westbound to U.S. 281 southbound is seen in this Oct. 25, 2012 aerial photo.

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Zoom in and see detail of an ariel shot of the 281/1604 intersection

Call it the beginning of the end to one of the city's biggest traffic nightmares.

After nearly a million hours in construction labor, more than 65,000 tons of asphalt and hundreds of temporary road closures, half of the interchange joining U.S. 281 and Loop 1604 opens to traffic today.

At 11 a.m., officials will celebrate the completion of the two direct connectors that will link northbound traffic on U.S. 281 to Loop 1604 east and west.

The Alamo RMA oversaw construction of the $131 million project, paid for by a mix of federal stimulus funds and state dollars.

Williams Brothers Construction Co., the project contractor, lowered the cost about $10 million by having engineers design a left-hand exit on U.S. 281 to Loop 1604, an unusual configuration.

No later than February, the two remaining connectors from Loop 1604 to U.S. 281 southbound will open.

Funding has been secured for another part of the interchange, which would connect the north side of U.S. 281 to Loop 1604 east and west.

However, that portion can't be built until the completion of federal environmental studies that are under way.

The interchange has been long-awaited in a part of the city where suburban sprawl, and the cars and trucks that come with it, quickly surpassed the capacity of the existing roads, built long before the area's housing boom. Vehicles have had to wait in long lines at traffic lights to travel between the two corridors.

Work started on the interchange in March 2011, despite an ongoing federal lawsuit filed by the environmental group Aquifer Guardians in Urban Areas challenging the interchange construction because, the organization argued, the project threatened endangered species in the area. The case remains in court.

Because the project was design-build — designed and engineered as work went forward — RMA officials said could reduce costs and finish the interchange at a much faster pace than a traditionally funded project.

The last major interchange built in San Antonio, connecting U.S. 281 to Loop 410, cost $155 million and took 31/2 years to build, although that project included eight ramps.